NSBDC offers free workshops for contractors wanting to work with NDOT

UNR NEWS RELEASE

The Nevada Small Business Development Center is providing free workshops in Reno and Elko, Nev., to construction contractors who are either certified as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises  or who wish to seek DBE certification, and are wanting the opportunity to bid on contracts provided by the Nevada Department of Transportation. 

The federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program is all about securing equal opportunity in business. Funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation, the program helps businesses classified as small, woman-owned or disadvantaged to compete in a fair environment alongside larger businesses.

The workshops will be held:

• In Elko, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 30, at Great Basin College,1500 College Parkway, in the High Tech Center, Room 111
• In Reno, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 31, at the University of Nevada, Reno Redfield Campus,18600 Wedge Parkway, in the Nell J. Redfield Building A, Room 230

Agenda items will include:

• Overview of the DBE Program
• How to become a certified DBE
• NDOT contracting opportunities
• Expanding into government markets as a DBE
• Purpose, criteria and process for certification
• Techniques to increase your ability to obtain NDOT contracts
• New rule changes that affect DBEs
• How to be more successful on federal highway projects

The workshop presenters are:

• Roc Stacey, contract compliance manager, NDOT
• Kathy Agee-Dow, director, Procurement Outreach Program, Governor’s Office of Economic Development
• Anderine Cowan, business development advisor, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program, Nevada Small Business Development Center

This program is free to the public and is fully funded by the Nevada Department of Transportation. Registration is required and seating is limited. To register, call the NSBDC at the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business, 775-784-1717 or 800-240-7094, or go to http://nsbdc.org/education-training/business-training-calendar/.

The Nevada Small Business Development Center is a statewide business-assistance outreach program of the University of Nevada, Reno, College of Business that provides a wide variety of technical assistance to support Nevada business and to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses in today’s dynamic market.

Nevada’s land-grant university founded in 1874, the University of Nevada, Reno has an enrollment of 18,000 students and is ranked in the top tier of the nation’s best universities. Part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the University has the system’s largest research program and is home to the state’s medical school. With outreach and education programs in all Nevada counties and with one of the nation’s largest study-abroad consortiums, the University extends across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.